Daily Archives: February 2, 2026

Restoring a Kaywoodie Flame Grain Imported Briar 16 President

by Steve Laug

I received an email from a fellow a bit ago about two of his pipes that he wanted me to restore. I have included his email below.

Hey Steve,

It’s been a little while but I’d like to send in the Kaywoodie President for restoration. I also have a Marxman apple that I would like an assessment on–it’s a bit more of a challenge than a standard restoration. Can you let me know if you have an opening and if so, what address to send them to? Thanks! – Devin

I asked him to send me some photos of the pipes before he shipped them to me. I gave my address and he shipped them to me. Here are the photos of the Marxman pipe that he sent.He included some close-up photos of the bowl and shank to show the condition they were in. The photos show the condition the bowl and rim top. There is no cake in the bowl but the rim top and inner edge show damage from burning and possibly overzealous reaming. The stem has a lot of tooth marks and dents in the top and underside ahead of the button. He also removed the stem from the shank and took a photo to show the condition of the aluminum stinger apparatus. The pipes arrived here last evening. I took the Kaywoodie President to the table to look it over. It was very clean inside and out. The rim top had burn damage on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. The finish was dirty on the bowl and shank. The pipe was stamped on the left side of the shank read Flame Grain [over] Kaywoodie. On the right side it is stamped Imported Briar [over] the shape number 61. The stamping was clear and quite readable. The stem was oxidized and had tooth damage on the top and underside ahead of the button and on the button edge itself. The vulcanite stem was fat on the bottom side and has the Kaywoodie black clover logo in a white circle on the topside of the stem. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the bowl has been reamed and the burn damage on the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. It needed some work. The stem was oxidized and has some deep tooth marks on the top and underside ahead of the button and on the edges. I took photos of sides of the shank to show the stamping. The stamping is clear and readable. I also took a photo of the logo on the stem top. I removed the stem from the shank and took a photo of the pipe parts to show what I was working with. The stinger apparatus is shown in the photo as well. It is a nicely grained unique.I turned to Pipephil’s site to look at the data that was available on Kaywoodie President pipes and see if there were any pipes like the bowl I had (http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-kaywoodie.html The shape called “President” is a Kaywoodie’s distinctive production. It has never been copied. Until late 1930’s pipes were stamped with a 4 digit code (this pipe: 7793).

The first 2 numbers (77) designate the style or finish.
The last 2 are the shape numbers (93).
The numerical code may be reinforced by a letter for variants.

Thus the small “President” pipes are stamped 93S while the larger bear a 93L (see also this Super Grain pipe).

Later Kaywoodie will cancel the 2 first style/finish numbers keeping the 2 last shape numbers and the letter for variants (i.e. Allbriar or Connoisseur).

I further worked on the name and shape number of this Kaywoodie. It was stamped on the right side of the shank with the shape number 61. I turned to Pipedia to a specific article on the various shape numbers (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kaywoodie_Shape_Numbers). I found the following line below. It identifies the shape 61 as follows.

61 EZ set Vest pocket President (streamliner shape) oval bowl 1935-1937, 1952-1960

From that information I knew that the pipe originally had been released in 1935-37 and then released again between 1952-60. The pipe in hand was the later release as the earlier version had a different shape number and often had the patent number. This one had a two digit number and no patent.

I turned to Pipedia to the article on Kaywoodie pipes (https://pipedia.org/wiki/Kaywoodie) to see if I could find information on the shape and President line. There was a sales flyer on Kaywoodie pipes for Father’s Day. I have included a copy of the flyer below in a section called Streamliners.The article also included a shape chart that was helpful. The last shape in the chart was a Kaywoodie 61 E-Z-Set Vest Pocket President which is the same shape as the one that I am working on.From the above information I knew that I was working on a Kaywoodie President shape 61. It is a great looking unique pipe. It was now time to start working on the pipe.

I cleaned out the shank and the airway in the stem with pipe cleaners – bristle and smooth and cotton swabs and alcohol. It was an incredibly dirty shank and airway in the stem. It smelled significantly better once finished.I decided to address the damage on the rim edge and top. I wanted to do so with minimal effect on the shape of the edge and rim. I used a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the damage on the inner edge of the bowl and to remove the burn damage. It looked much better. I carefully, gently sanded the surface of the bowl and the shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the scratches in the surface of the briar. The bowl and shank began to look very good. I polished the briar with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding the briar and wiping down the bowl after each sanding pad. It really began to take on a rich shine and the grain stood out beautifully. I rubbed the briar down with Before & After Restoration Balm and worked it into the briar and the repaired areas. The product works to clean, enliven and preserve the briar and give it a rich lustre. The briar came alive and the grain really pops. I set the bowl aside and turned my attention to the stem. I forgot to take photos but I “painted” the vulcanite stem surface with the flame of a Bic lighter to lift the tooth marks. I was able to lift the majority of them with the heat. I filled in the deeper marks on the surface of the button and the edge of the button with a rubberized CA glue. I flattened the repairs on the stem and recut the edge of the button with a small file. I flattened the repairs with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper. It is starting to look very good. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. The shape and look of the stem looked better and better. The remaining oxidation was gone.I polished the stem by dry sanding it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads. I wiped the stem down after each sanding pad with an Obsidian Oil Cloth. The stem looked very good. I put the Kaywoodie Flame Grain Imported Briar 61 President back together and buffed it on the buffing wheel with Blue Diamond. It raised a shine on the briar and the stem and gave some depth to the grain. I gave both the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax on the wheel and buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. I hand buffed it with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The pipe turned out to be a unique beauty in its own way. I really like the grain and the shape of this Kaywoodie Flame Grain 61 President. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 6 inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outer diameter of the bowl: 1 ¼ inches, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 1.41 ounces/39 grams. It is a uniquely beautiful pipe. It will join the Marxman Apple on its journey back to Devin early in the week ahead. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me.

Breathing new life into a Unique Meerschaum Bent Rhodesian with the Wooden Stem

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by Steve Laug

It is another rainy day in Vancouver and a day off so I decided to go to the basement and work on a pipe that was purchased on 12/03/2025 from a seller in Houston, Texas, USA. It is a no name rusticated Meerschaum Bent Rhodesian shape pipe that is quite beautiful. The rusticated bowl and shank of this large Rhodesian that has a very tactile feel that I am sure is even better when it heats up. The shank has some patina developing around the shank and end. The rim top has some patina under the lava. There was no stamping on the shank or bowl. The pipe was dirty when Jeff received it. There was dust and grime ground into the finish. The bowl was heavily caked and there was some thick lava on the rim top and inner edge. The hand carved wooden taper stem was dirty and had light tooth marks and chatter on both sides ahead of the button. There no stamping or logo on the stem top or sides. Jeff took photos of the pipe before he started his clean up work on it.

The photo to the right is a great photo of the general appearance of the bent Rhodesian and the rugged rustication on the bowl sides and heel. You can also see the lava and darkening to the rim top and inner edge of the bowl. It has a great looking hand carved stem – it is hardwood and I wonder if it is Walnut or possibly Paduak. I am uncertain of the kind of wood that the stem is made of but it certainly a reddish coloured hardwood.

He took some photos of the rim top and bowl from various angles to give me a clear picture of the condition of the rim top and bowl. The inside of the bowl is heavily caked with a heavy lava build up on the inner edge and rim top. He included photos that show the top and underside of the stem. The photos show the lack of defined edge on the button and the wear ahead of the button. The condition of the stem is as I described above.
The tenon is fit for a Medico style paper filter. The tenon is too small for a 9MM filter and too big for a 6MM filter.Jeff took photos of the sides and heel of the bowl to give a sense of the finish and the developing patina on the shank and bowl. Now it was my turn to work on the pipe. Jeff had done an amazing cleanup of the pipe. He reamed the light cake with a PipNet reamer and cleaned up that with a Savinelli Fitsall Pipe Knife. He scrubbed the internals of the bowl and stem with alcohol, cotton swabs and pipe cleaners. He scrubbed the externals with undiluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and rinsed the bowl off with running water. He scrubbed the exterior of the stem with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a tooth brush. I rinsed it off with warm water to remove the residual solution. He dried it off and rubbed it down to remove any oxidation that was still on the stem. The pipe looked very good when I received it. I took a photo of the rim top to show the condition. You can see the clean bowl. The bowl is in excellent condition and the rim top looks very good. There is a little darkening on the back topside of the rim but otherwise it is excellent. The stem came out looking quite good. It only needed to be polished. I took the stem off and took a photo of the overall look of the pipe. It really is a beauty. I carefully sanded the smooth surface of the rim top and shank end of the shank with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads to remove the darkening and small scratches in the surface of the meerschaum. The bowl and shank began to look very good. I polished the meerschaum rim cap, top and shank end with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding the briar and wiping down the bowl after each sanding pad. It really began to take on a rich shine and the grain stood out beautifully. I rubbed the meerschaum down with Claphams Beeswax/Carnauba wax. I worked it into the meerschaum with my fingertips and a horsehair shoe brush to work it into the nooks and crannies of the rusticated finish. I let it sit for 10 minutes then I buffed it with a cotton cloth to deepen the shine. The meerschaum takes on a deep patina that really comes alive with the wax. I set aside the bowl and turned my attention to the stems. I recut the button edge and reshaped it with small needle files. I sanded the stem with a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper to finish reshaping the button edges. I sanded the stem with 320-3500 grit 2×2 inch sanding pads. The shape and look of the stem looked better and better. It really began to shine.I polished the wooden stem with micromesh sanding pads – 1500-12000 grit pads. I wiped them down with Obsidian Oil after each sanding pad. I used Before & After Pipe Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine to further polish the stem. This Rusticated Meerschaum Bent Rhodesian with a Wooden Filter Stem has a beautiful, reddish brown finish that highlights some beautiful grain. I put the stem back on the bowl and buffed the pipe with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel being careful to not buff the stamping. I gave the bowl and the stems multiple coats of carnauba wax on the buffing wheel and followed that by buffing it with a clean buffing pad. I hand buffed the pipe with a microfiber cloth to deepen the shine. The finished Rusticated Meerschaum Bent Rhodesian with Wooden Stem is quite stunning and feels great in my hand. Give the finished pipe a look in the photos below. The dimensions of the pipe are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ¾ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 ½ inches, Chamber diameter: 7/8 of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 2.12 ounces/61 grams. Thanks for walking through the restoration with me as I worked over another beautiful pipe. I am not sure where this will end up. I may keep it here for awhile to make sure the draught is correct. Then I will see. Thanks for your time.